Summer extra-good reason to ‘drink pink’
Tasting through the recently arrived 2016 vintage of rosés is going to be a big job because local wine shops carry dozens of choices this time of year.
But you have all summer to do it, so don’t worry.
And if you listen to Dean Schlabowske, wine buyer at Milwaukee’s Downer Wine & Spirits, you’ll come to understand that pink isn’t just a summer fling. (“We drink whites all year-round, why not rosés?”)
With so many choices, though, how best to decide which ones to spend your time and money on?
One expert with ready advice is New York City-based sommelier Victoria James, author of “Drink Pink: A Celebration of Rosé” (Harper Design, May 2017, $19.99). It’s a quick-reading little reference with whimsical illustrations by Lyle Railsback, who happens to be her boyfriend.
In this bright pink guidebook, James — who is beverage director at Michelin-starred Piora and soon-to-open Cote — shares information on history, production methods and famed regions. She puts the accent on France but also includes Italian, Austrian and a smattering of New World rosés. For each area, she gives a shout-out to her favorite producers.
She concludes with a quirky assortment of recipes, from rosé cocktails to main dishes and desserts such as Rosé Lemon Sorbet. Anyone hoping to put an invasive species to good use will want to try Goat Cheese Wrapped in Garlic Mustard. It’s garnished with violets and drizzled with a dressing made from rosé and olive oil.
For many people, the most confounding thing about rosé is not knowing if it’s sweet or dry, as labels seldom specify. Dry wine lovers are apt to avoid pinks, thinking that most have residual sugar.
James, writing in an email, had some reassuring words:
“Most quality rosé made today is dry. Unless it is a historically sweet style like Bugey-Cerdon, you won’t have to worry.
“People often think rosé is sweet due to the Mateus, Lancers and white Zinfandels of the past. These mass-produced examples have seen backlash and now consumers are asking for dry styles of high quality. The regions and producers I touched on in the book will never lead you astray!”
Schlabowske at Downer Wine echoed this, saying that all of the rosé they get in this time of year is dry.
“And here’s a tip,” he added. “I say this same thing when people ask about whites like Riesling that can also be sweet or dry. Look at the alcohol level — if it’s 12.5% or higher, it’s not going to be sweet because the sugar will have been converted
to alcohol.”
James sees people becoming better educated about pinks in the same way that they’ve learned about reds and whites over the years.
For today’s emerging cognoscenti, the latest darling might be a pink from Corsica made with a mix of Spanish, French and Italian grape varieties. Or maybe an Italian rosé made from Pinot Grigio, which James tells us “is one of the few white grapes that has color in its skin.”
Of course, there are plenty of choices from California, the Pacific Northwest, Australia, New Zealand and Chile. Broadly speaking, according to our expert, these New World rosés “tend to offer a more fruit profile vs. a mineral one.”
But most of the rosés you’ll come across are French, with those famed mineral-tinged ones from Provence and sub-regions such as Bandol setting the pace. “Today, when people think of rosé, the Provencal style is usually what comes to mind.”
Pink wines have become so popular that oodles of producers have rushed in to meet the demand, churning out what she calls “sterile examples that all taste the same.”
So, again, what is a shopper to do?
Her suggestion is to frequent small, “artisanal” shops that are more likely to carry wines from smaller producers.
“Just like with white and red wine, look for wineries that arecloser to farms vs. factories. Unfortunately, many largescale stores sell the ‘Twinkies’ of wine. But what if you want a handmade croissant instead? You go to the small patisserie or bakery,” she said.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for at a local store, she recommends the internet. Kermit Lynch is one of her favorite importers and at
kermitlynch.com, you can order many of the wines recommended in her book.
In the Milwaukee area, prices for rosés range from under $10 a bottle to about $40. And frugal shoppers will be happy to know that a high price is not a steadfast indicator of quality.
“Don’t let price point fool you. Many delicious rosés can be found for under $20. If they are more expensive, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are better. Sometimes wines are more expensive because of their own bills they need to pay: wine barrels, land, planting vineyards, taxes, etc. But often times many wines are simply pricey due to good marketing,” she said.